The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-10-26
Wednesday, October 26, 1887.
Are they Dreaming or Wandering In
Their Mind?

Are they Dreaming or Wandering In
Their Mind?
We have on our table the Prospectus and
Appeal Of the Industrial Mission School Socl-
ETY.. The board Of trustees are:
Rev. John Kershaw, President; Henry +.
Archer, First Vice President; John Gausoen'
Second Vice-President; Benz. r. Stunrt, Sccre
tary and Treasurer; Rev. Robert Wilson; ID.
D., Rev. Edmund N.Joyner, ReH T. dn T.. nT''' !,
ger. Rev. f. G. Edgerton, John X. Lonaom, e..
L. Kerrison, j.. p \. Bryan, Mm: M 4; siod oOd'Ie
Goodwin Rhett, Thomas Pinckney lownues'
VIM. II. Brawley, a. NJ. Lee, Arthur B. Flass'
M. D., E. Montague Grimke, VIM. Henry faf-
ker, Jr., Julian Mitchell: AUGUSTUS rtHi,, Ri.t W.
D., ]. B. DuBose, NJ. D., George Lamb BUST.
The motto of this Society is, "Work, Educa-
ton, Religion" The objects to be accom-
plished, and the methods by which these de-
sirable ends is to be attained is outlined
in the Prospectus from which we make 1e"
brief extracts, as follows:
oThe Industrial Mission School Society Gum
der which name it has been charteredD pro.
poses to establish an Institution which snail
endeayor to combine education with indus
trial and church features. 1T will be located
its end and object will be TO foster the indus
trial. mental, moral and religious training Of
such of the black and colored people as shall
come under It's influence. ,r :, ,,o
watchwords of the Society, and the Farm, the
Workshop. the School and the Gh4rcn VIII De
the agents used to reach these hlGn ends.
Gland will be deliberately used as the best
instrument of civilization. 1t will be neces-
sary to have 1t lie in large tract, say lO,oOo
acres, to leave freedom Of plan and action un.
trammelled, and to keep away outside and
evil Influences. In the centre vii be erected
A large church, with all the appointments tor
an impressive service, hospital, school
house, students quarters, professors houses,
barns, dairy and other necessary buildings
The planting land in the centre will be culti-
waited by the students themselves, who will
be able TO defray the expenses OF their main
tenance by their own industry. Farming,
stock.raising, gardening and dairy processes
viii here be learned and made remunerative;
The outlying land will be gradually improved
and built upon by the students, who Will thus
do real work in real workshops. AS soon as
this land is improved. 1t will be rented out in
small farms to carefully chosen colored fam1-
lies, who will thus also be under the guidance
men connected with the Mission school. The
rents Of these farms would increase from year
to year, and soon become permanent source
sour object is, it will be thus seen. to aid
the colored man In the sphere Of skilled labor
and skilled agriculture; sphere III when an
of US can, and should, wish him improve
ment, and. at the same time, we desire 10 care
for his mental and religious training-in 9TH
er words, to make him an honest intelligent,
God-fearine man OF toll.
sour prime motives should be, and are;
Christian humanity towards race now and
always to be, in our midst: 1t Is portion OF
our duty, as Christian people. 1t Is the great
missionary work Of the church in the Africa
"But. besides, 1t is a responsibility which
must arrest the attention of all. and which
none can shirk. The future condition. OF the
negro, advancing or retrograding, Will nave
F<r ~
communities In which he lives. 1t must al
feot our social order, our morals, our religion.
"Our worldly Interests then, as well as our
highest responsibility TO God, must warn us
TO lead these people into the paths of Indus
try, honesty and truth"
The total absence Of prastical suggestions Is
more than made up by glittering generalities
In the first place, with the light Of eighty
years of experience in manual labor schools
at Cokesbury, Due West, and Lethe, we do
not see how any man In Abbeville county can
be induced to commit the mistake of endors-
ing or taking stock in any such an enterprise
and, with all due Difference to those who
have gone wild on the subject Of the Indus
trial Mission School, and with proper re-
gard for those who have partaken Of the sub
lime folly of the proposition to build an Ag-
ricultural College in South Carolina we must
express our great surprise. Their unguarded
and UNQUALIFIED demand for an Agricultural
College is astonishing. We already have
more Colleges than we can support. and the
practical business OF farming must be learned
on the farmland not at school.
We have in Abbeville county the Lcthe
Farm and School, embracing an immense
tract Of land, and an endowment fund OF
some $4,000 or $4,000 at interest and secured
by the best of securities. This Lethe school
was intended to do for the whites exactly
what Mr.. Kershaw and his associates
propose to do for the negroes, and yet
with the lands improved, and with large Ell.
dowment fund, the doors Of the school has
been closed for years, and the great estate OF
the donor has dwindled to a mere pittance OF
the original sum.
The Cokesbury Manual Labor School strug-
ged for existence for some fifteen or twenty
years, and then yielded to the inevitable.
The same Is true In the history OF the
school at Due West, under the manual labor
system.
With the object lessons before us, we are
amazed that any thinking man would WILL
ingly lend himself and his influence to a
scheme which Will cost the State hundreds OF
thousands OF dollars, with the certainty OF
failure awaiting an Agricultural College.
But we have gotten off Of the subject of the
negro:
Who invited this Mission School Society Of
white men to undertake the education of the
negro7
By what manner Of reasoning did they per-
suade themselves to neglect their own race to
run after the negro?
Was 1t to please our Northern brethren
and pander TO their political sentiment that
they do "thls great thing?"
Does this Society propose to stock the Pro-
fessorships with white teachers or negro teach
ers?
Is the Society ignorant Of the fact that the
negro accepts nothing from the white man
except his money?
Does this Society mean to turn the Episco-
pal church over 10 the Degroes?
Does not the act of this Society, SO soon at-
ter the Bishops act in enrolling negroes as
members OF the Diocesan Convention, look
like the Mission School Society would aid and
and abet the Bishop in transferring this Dio-
cese from the white people to the negroes?
The writing Of this article was no doubt use
less, as no considerable number Of people
could be found TO Invest their money to so i'm
practicable purpose, no matter how pure,
how Christian-like, and how patriotic the
movers Of the project may be.
Judge PressIy and the Court.
Judge Pressly, who is holding Court at